Merriman Market Analyst

Free Weekly Forecast

MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 15, 2023 ©

May 12, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW  Banks are in trouble because of rising interest rates. Rates have climbed because inflation is high. And inflation is too high because demand is hot. One way to cool demand would be for the federal government to cut spending—which happens to be what Republicans, who control the...

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MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 8, 2023 ©

May 5, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW  Nonfarm payrolls increased 253,000 for the month, beating Wall Street estimates for growth of 180,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate was 3.4% against an estimate for 3.6% and tied for the lowest level since 1969. Average hourly earnings, a key inflation barometer,...

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MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 1, 2023 ©

April 28, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose on Friday, notching its best month since January. The blue-chip index closed 272 points, or 0.8%, higher at 34,098.16. The Dow finished April 2.5% higher, its best monthly showing since January, when the average ended up 2.8%. –Alex Harring and Sarah...

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MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING APRIL 24, 2023 ©

April 21, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW  SpaceX on Friday is taking stock after the company’s Starship rocket exploded a few minutes after lifting off the day before in southern Texas. “If we lift off and clear the pad, we’re calling that a win,” SpaceX engineer Kate Tice said. – Micah Maidenberg, “After SpaceX’s Starship...

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MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING APRIL 17, 2023 ©

April 14, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW Is inflation over? That was the temporary market sigh of relief you heard Wednesday morning as the feds reported that the consumer price index for March rose a mere 0.1%. But prices are still rising at a 5% 12-month rate, which will not strike most Americans as...

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MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING APRIL 10, 2023 ©

April 7, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW The Labor Department reported Friday that payrolls grew by 236,000 for the month, compared to the Dow Jones estimate for 238,000. The unemployment rate ticked lower to 3.5%, against expectations that it would hold at 3.6%. Though it was close to what economists had expected, the total...

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MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING APRIL 3, 2023 ©

March 31, 2023

REVIEW AND PREVIEW March recorded the worst U.S. bank failures since the 2008 crisis, but that did not stop some investors from snapping up battered financial stocks to bolster their bets on the sector’s long-term health, fund-flow data showed… That’s despite both funds plunging about 29% in March as the...

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